After discounting its over-ear QuietComfort 45 headphones earlier this week, Bose has kicked off a similarly notable sale on its QuietComfort Earbuds II. The wireless earbuds are now on sale for $249 at several retailers, matching the all-time low we previously saw around Black Friday. The pair has typically retailed at its MSRP of $299 since launching in September, though it's sold for $279 for most of this month. Either way, Bose's product listing says this deal will run until January 1.
We gave the QuietComfort Earbuds II a review score of 87 at launch, and we currently recommend them as the "best noise cancellation" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds. As that title would suggest, Bose's active noise cancellation (ANC) is the main reason you'd buy this pair: It's the single most powerful ANC mode we've tested on a pair of wireless earbuds, almost totally muting low-end rumbles and muffling mid- and high-frequency sounds better than most. The earbuds automatically attune their ANC to the acoustics of your ear canals as soon as you put them on, but you can also raise or lower the intensity of the effect by creating custom listening modes in Bose's companion app.
In terms of audio quality, the QuietComfort Earbuds II have a smooth sound with a slight but noticeable bass boost. It's not world-beating like the ANC, but our review found the low-end to be richer than past Bose earbuds, and there's a graphic EQ tool in Bose's app that lets you tweak the sound more to your liking if needed.
There are a few trade-offs worth noting here. The earbuds themselves are soft and secure in the ear, but they're on the larger side, which may be fatiguing for smaller ears over time. The included charging case is similarly bulky. Beyond that, battery life is just decent at roughly 6-7 hours, there's no wireless charging and call quality is mediocre. You can't connect to multiple devices at once, either. Our guide recommends Sony's WF-1000XM4 as a more well-rounded option for most. Still, if all you want is the most effective ANC possible in a pair of wireless earbuds, the QuietComfort Earbuds II are the way to go, and this deal makes them at least a little more affordable.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.